Homeless children

Shelter said living in temporary accommodation or sofa-surfing often meant constant insecurity and disruption to families’ lives – affecting children and young people’s mental health and education.

Clr Cathy Scott, Kirklees Council's Portfolio Holder for Housing and Democracy said: "The number of children living in temporary accommodation provided by local authorities varies from period to period and is affected by a number of factors; including for example the reasons why families are made homeless, whether or not those homeless households are able to secure their own temporary accommodation and the way that Local Authorities provide temporary accommodation.

"In Kirklees, the main causes of homelessness for families during the January to March 2018 period, were the loss of a private rented property, other relatives or friends no longer willing or able to accommodate them and the breakdown of relationships.

"Whilst every effort is made to prevent families from becoming homeless when this is not possible and where families have nowhere to stay on an interim basis we provide accommodation mainly in self-contained furnished properties which are part of the council’s housing stock.

"When considering the suitability of such temporary accommodation we take into account the needs of the children including their health and safety, education and where possible childcare arrangements.

"We then work with families to rehouse them as quickly as possible into suitable settled accommodation."

Greg Beales, director at Shelter, said: “No child should be homeless. But for the generation growing up in the housing crisis, this is the grim reality for many.

“The number of children hidden away in hostels and B&Bs is enough to make anyone’s heart sink.

“These are not places for children. We hear about cold, damp – even rats. Young children are sharing beds with multiple family members, trying to play in dirty public corridors, and having to leave their block in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

“Over the last five years, hundreds of thousands of children have known what it’s like to be homeless. The impact on these young people cannot be overstated. It doesn’t have to be this way.”

Homeless impact on mental health and emotional wellbeing

Studies have found that children who have been homeless are more likely to suffer from mental health problems than other children, even after being rehoused.

Three quarters of parents interviewed felt that their children’s mental health had been affected by living in emergency accommodation.

Younger children were afraid in unfamiliar surroundings whilst older children, like their parents, struggled with the uncertainty and worried about the future.

Shelter has also carried out research with 11 teachers and education professionals. Teachers reported that they witnessed homelessness causing severe emotional trauma leading to emotional stress, anxiety and problematic behaviours.

Whereas younger children often became withdrawn and noticeably sad, older children could become angry or aggressive.

Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Heather Wheeler, said: “No family should be left without a roof over their heads, especially during the winter months, and we are working to ensure all children have a safe place to stay where they can thrive.

“Councils have a duty to provide temporary accommodation for families with nowhere to go, and we have been clear that they also have a duty to prevent homelessness in the first place.

“We are providing more than £1.2 billion to tackle all forms of homelessness, including amongst children, and introduced the Homelessness Reduction Act to ensure people at risk get help quicker.

“But we know we have more to do to tackle homelessness, and we will.”

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Across Yorkshire, 822 children were recorded as homeless, at a rate of one in every 1,409 children. Of them, 37 are in hostels or B&Bs, often with one family in a single room, sharing bathrooms and kitchens with other residents.

The regional rate is significantly lower than the rate across Britain, where it is one in 103. It means more than 131,000 children are expected to be homeless this year – nearly 50,000 more than five years ago.